Boys Before Flowers Crossover Story: Strength of Heart
by cutestuff024
Summary: Yoon Ji Hoo is a member of the F4, an elite group of young Fire Nation soldiers. His life is drastically changed when he encounters Jan Di, a girl determined to bring them down. Together they fight for freedom, and in turn learn the true meaning of friendship, sacrifice, and of love. Note: This is a JanHoo [AU] story. WARNING: The rating will be higher in later chapters (maybe M)
1. Intro

_"The __**strength of your heart**__ makes you who you are." - __Katara__ (The Last Airbender, S1 E6)_

* * *

**Intro:**

**.**

Water.

Earth.

Fire.

Air.

Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he vanished.

Meanwhile, the Fire Nation is slowly taking over the world, and not many can stand against them.

My name is Yoon Ji Hoo of the Fire Nation, and this is my story.

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.

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	2. F4

"_The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be_." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

**Chapter 1: F4**

Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if things were different.

If my parents were still alive, would I still be doing what I'm doing now?

Would I join the Fire Nation military or follow in my mother's footsteps and become a healer?

Would I still be sitting here, under this tree, hiding from the heat of the sun thousands of miles from home?

I guess I'll never know.

A dragon fruit falls from a branch and rolls right in front of me. Several of these trees surround me, each exactly 6 feet apart, having been planted that way by the farmer that lives at the end of the field. I spend most of my free time here, away from the others, mostly napping whenever I'm free.

I have a lot of free time lately. Nowadays, nothing exciting ever happens in our little Fire Nation outpost in the Earth Kingdom island of Kaji.

"I knew I'd find you here."

I don't look at the source of the voice but keep staring at an ant beetle trying to carry a small dragon fruit up a tree. The dragon fruit is at least ten times the size of the insect, but it carries it as though it's a leaf. The ant beetle only ever makes it a foot past the root before gravity kicks in and the fruit rolls to the ground. But the insect is persistent. I've been watching it for at least half an hour now, maybe more.

Yi Jung's face appears beside mine, a boyish grin plastered on his face. His black hair is tousled, no doubt from running to get here. Yi Jung is always running to get somewhere.

He sees the insect and decides to help, picks up the fruit and puts it on one of the cavities that dot the tree, as close to the bottom as possible. The ant beetle stops moving for a few minutes, then it scurries away and disappears from sight, abandoning the fruit.

"Tsk, tsk," Yi Jung says, plucking a fruit from the tree. "Some people just don't appreciate being helped."

"People?"

"You know what I mean," Yi Jung says, as he sits beside me.

"It was doing fine before you came to '_help_'", I chide.

"Oh yeah? How long have you been watching it struggle?"

I don't answer.

"I thought so," Yi Jung says, triumphantly. He takes out a knife from his back pocket, splits the fruit in half, and takes a bite. "We need to get you a hobby."

"I have a hobby."

"Watching insects?"

"They're interesting."

"Oh yeah? How?"

"Well, for starters, they leave me alone."

I could feel Yi Jung rolling his eyes at me.

"You'd think we'd be immune to all this heat considering we get our power from the sun, but no. I'm half melted here." He takes out a piece of cloth and swipes it across his forehead. When I don't say anything, he decides to switch to a different topic. "It's been so long since our last mission," Yi Jung grumbles. "When are they going to call us again?"

"Patience, Yi Jung," I remind him. "They'll call us when they need us. They're preparing for the big fight, you know that."

We turn our eyes to the north, towards the massive island located across from us. Where the last great Earth Kingdom stronghold stands.

Ba Sing Se. The Impenetrable City.

"The only thing standing between us and victory," Yi Jung declares. "Massive walls that encloses the entire city. Gates that can only opened by earthbending." He looks at me questioningly. "You think General Yoon can figure out how to get in there?"

"He'll find a way," I say confidently. My grandfather is one of the top Generals in the Fire Nation, and their top strategist.

"Heard from him lately?"

I don't answer. Yi Jung places a hand gently on my shoulder.

"He'll write to you soon," he says, encouragingly. I merely shrug. I'm used to not hearing from my grandfather. His position in the Fire Nation does not leave a lot of time to write. Even to his only living blood relative. Thinking about him is depressing me so I decide to change the subject.

"Yi Jung?"

"Hm?"

"Are you happy here?"

He laughs at this. "It's got its pros and cons."

"Name a con."

"The food is terrible."

"That is true."

"What else?"

He pretends to think for a moment. "The company could be improved."

"Ha ha," I laugh dryly. "Seriously though."

"Is this one of your life questions again?" The smile disappears from his face. "Ji Hoo, we have everything most people can only dream of. We have money, status, and, if I can say the obvious - exceptional good looks. Plus, we're one of the best firebenders in the nation. What's not to be happy about?"

"I don't know. Sometimes I can't help but think that maybe there's more to it than this."

"Like what?"

"I don't know." I force a smile. "Anyway, forget about it."

"Why couldn't they have picked a better spot for our headquarters? Why do we have to be in the middle of nowhere? The nearest village market is hours away!"

"It's not that bad," I say, standing up and stretching. I've been sitting for too long. "There's lots to do here."

"Oh yeah? Name one.

"Watching ant-beetles."

"Name one that's _actually_ fun."

"You can eat all the dragon fruit you want."

"I'm going to turn into one any day now. That's all we ever eat. And those weird looking potatoes. Oh-rabies or something."

"It's called kohlrabi. And it's a very versatile food."

"They only say that so you'll eat it." He makes a face of disgust. Then his face lights up. "You know what else is versatile?" He doesn't wait for my answer. "Fried chicken-duck. You can eat it with anything, any side you want."

"I don't think that's what they meant by versatile, Yi Jung."

"Who cares? It's delicious." He licks his lips. "I can't wait for our supply ship to arrive. Your eyes will pop at all the food I asked my family to send."

"I can only imagine."

We let a few awkward seconds pass by before one of us speaks again.

"Oh yeah, Jun Pyo wants to see you," Yi Jung says, casually.

I stand up so fast I get light-headed. "What? And you're just telling me this now?"

He just shrugs. "He didn't say _immediately_."

"What did he say exactly?"

"He said, '_Go and get Ji Hoo_.'"

"You now that normally means_ immediately_, right?"

Yi Jung smirks. "Does it?"

I'm already walking away from him. "I swear, one of these days he's going to have us on latrine duty again for your antics."

He shudders at this. "Hey, wait up!"

...

Jun Pyo's office is located at the north end of the outpost, and is the biggest hut in the compound. It also doubles as his house. Quite fitting for someone with his position and rank. In any other house in the compound, his furniture will stand out. Not that it's overly luxurious, but it's ten times nicer than anything you'd find in this place.

"You called?" I say, gasping for air. I ran as fast as I could but Yi Jung has beaten me here. He's sitting on one of the chairs in the office, casually drinking a cup of tea. I hate that he's faster than me.

There is a massive ebony desk in the middle of the room, and Jun Pyo is sitting behind it. To his left is a matching bookcase filled with scrolls of varying sizes. I know most of those are maps of Earth Kingdom islands. A few books are filed neatly at the bottom shelf, their spines as worn as their pages from having been read a hundred times. A huge stack of paper adorns his desk, and Jun Pyo is busy scribbling on one. He pauses for a second to acknowledge my arrival and motions me to sit.

Woo Bin walks in, in full fire nation uniform, his hair impeccably held in a top knot, and sits on the chair beside Yi Jung. He's a few inches taller than us, but only a few months older, and yet he's our senior. In fact, in this military outpost, he's second in command. "You guys are late," he scolds, but there is a hint of playfulness in his tone.

I glare at Yi Jung but he's avoiding eye contact. I'll get him later.

"Now that you're all here," Jun Pyo begins, clasping his fingers, "I just received a messenger bird that the supply ships have been delayed. We won't have new supplies for a while."

"Do they know why?" Yi Jung sits up, almost spilling his tea, disappointment flashing on his face.

He shakes his head. "All it said was it had some issues," Jun Pyo knits his brow. "Whether those issues are natural or not, I can only guess."

"Waterbenders?" I ask, through gritted teeth.

He shrugs. "We don't know. Most of the waterbenders in the Southern Tribe have been taken prisoner and the Northern Tribe wouldn't go this far south." He leans back and studies my face, his eyes prodding into mine. "That's not why I called you guys here, though. I called you because they're sending a bunch of new recruits here. They're due to arrive in three days."

"For what?" Woo Bin asks.

"They want us to train them. Get them ready to fight. If we do well, they'll send more."

"Really?" Yi Jung says, doubtfully. "Here?"

"Yes," Jun Pyo answers. "Since we're not that busy right now, I agreed. Ji Hoo, Yi Jung, you two are in charge of training the new recruits. They're all volunteers so go easy on them."

Woo Bin chuckles at that.

"They're also firebenders – well, from what I was told anyway. We don't know how good they are, but that's why they're coming here. After all, we have the best firebenders in the nation," Jun Pyo declares proudly. "Any problems with that?"

"No," Yi Jung and I answer in unison. Jun Pyo is not only in command of this outpost, he's also the leader of the Elite. As soldiers of the Elite we follow his commands.

"Three days huh?" Yi Jung says, scratching his chin. "Three more days of doing zilch."

"You guys could always clean the outhouse," Woo Bin suggests. "I heard it's long overdue."

Yi Jung and I shake our heads repeatedly.

Jun Pyo puts his pen down and looks at us. Then he unexpectedly laughs.

_Oh no. He's going to ask us to do it. We'll be cleaning the outhouse for three days..._

"I can see you guys are bored," he begins.

_Don't say outhouse, don't say outhouse._

"Gear up then. We're going on a hunt," he adds, and I release a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"A hunt?" I can't contain the excitement in my voice. "Who are we hunting?" A hunt is better than outhouse duty.

Jun Pyo shakes his head. "Not who, what."

"So we're not going to capture anyone? What are we hunting then?"

"Komodo rhino."

Silence descends on the room.

"Are you serious?" Woo Bin asks in disbelief. "We've never hunted a wild komodo rhino before."

"Don't tell me you guys are afraid," Jun Pyo says. There is a mocking edge to his tone.

"Of course not," Yi Jung puffs his chest a little. "Why would we be afraid of a komodo rhino? He's no match for the four of us."

"Exactly what I was thinking," Jun Pyo, our fearless leader, says with a grin.

...

"Why do you think he wants to go after a komodo rhino?" Yi Jung asks as we walk into the little shack we call our house.

"If Jun Pyo says we're hunting one, then we hunt one." I never question Jun Pyo's orders. I'm a good little soldier that way.

"It's probably because the supply ship is late," I add. "They're supposed to send us a few komodo rhinos so we don't have to walk everywhere. Think of how much more of this island we can explore when we don't have to go on foot."

Plus, komodo rhinos are used in the Fire Nation as cavalry mounts. We're going to need it for this war we're preparing for.

"We haven't done anything together in a long time," Yi Jung's face is bright and cheery. "I miss the times we used to just hang out. No responsibilities. No training. No getting involved in war." He grabs a huge sack from the floor of the room, upends the contents onto the floor, and starts rummaging through it, pulling out odds and ends and some things I don't want to get near of.

In our outpost there are several shacks that are used as accommodations for the soldiers stationed here. I'm pretty sure this place was here before the Fire Nation took over. My guess is that it used to be a trading post. The handful of Fire Nation soldiers that were stationed here when we arrived claimed they'd built this place, but I've seen them work a hammer and nail and I wouldn't even trust them to build me a stool. Besides, once when I was rummaging for some sheets, I came across a trunk in one of the warehouses that was full of green and brown linens, which are colors of the Earth Kingdom.

The houses, if you could call it that, are pretty basic. Inside there are two or three partitions that serve as small bedrooms. The bedroom furniture is sparse – just a single bed with a small square table in the corner. What little clothes we own are neatly folded in a corner on the floor. The main sitting room has a few floor mats to sit on, another square table by the wall, and a clay jug of water set on top of it.

Jun Pyo and Woo Bin have their own houses, though Woo Bin's is considerably smaller than Jun Pyo's. Yi Jung and I get to share a house. Ours is even smaller than Woo Bin's, but it's got two rooms so at least we each get some privacy. The other buildings we call bunkhouses, houses several soldiers each. As bad as that sounds, most of the time we're outside training and spend very little time inside. Still, being packed like sardines and having no privacy would drive me insane.

Only the top officers get their own rooms.

"Man, your room is always so clean," Yi Jung comments, as his eyes sweep my room. "How do you do it?"

I prop a leg onto the table, tying the laces of my boots tight, tucking the loose ends under one of the laces so I don't trip on it later. "Hmm...let me think. I clean it?"

He laughs and waves his hand dismissively. "That sounds like too much work." He leans against the door. "You know, I've always wondered why they built houses made of wood for _firebenders_. Did they want us to accidentally set it on fire?" Yi Jung says, as he's changing into our uniform.

"Didn't you do that once?" I pause in the middle of tying a piece of red ribbon around the top knot in my hair. Yi Jung's hair is already up, the bun not perfectly centered at the top of his head. Since this isn't the first time he's done this, I ignore him. After all, we're going hunting, and it will probably get messy anyway.

"That was an _accident_," Yi Jung says. "And it happened a long time ago."

"That was last week, Yi Jung," I remind him, my hand blindly searching for the small prized object underneath my pillow. A sigh of relief escapes my lips when my hand clasps the smooth surface of it, and my fingers carefully trace the edges before I pull it out and tuck it deep into my hair, hiding it inside the bun.

Yi Jung is staring at me but says nothing. He knows not to say anything. He's seen me do this every time. He knows I never go out without it.

My lotus hair pin. The only thing I have left from my parents.

"Where's your lucky charm?" I ask, to break the silence. A quick check in the cracked mirror beside the door told me my bun is also a little lopsided. I quickly take it apart and try again. Yi Jung may be okay with it, but I'm not. When I pull out the lotus pin, my eyes linger a few seconds too long at it, and memories that I've pushed deep inside start resurfacing without permission.

_Screams. _

_That's what woke me up. I think it's my mother, but I'm not sure. It sounds like her. My father is shouting. Are they fighting? My parents never fight. _

_Some grunts. The sounds of a struggle coming out of the room. Crashes and clatters. Someone's breaking things._

_My mother opens the door and carries me in her arms. _

"_Ssshhh_..._Ji Hoo, I need you to be quiet now. Be still. Pretend we're playing hide and seek okay? Don't make a sound."_

_She places me in the chest we keep under the bed. "We love you. Never forget that," she whispers. Then she closes the lid._

_Darkness. _

_It's dark. I can't see._

_But I can hear... _

_Screams. _

_And shouting. Several people shouting angrily._

_I don't know how long I've been here. I think I fell asleep somehow._

_And then there is light. I'm squinting, the light too bright. _

_Familiar faces lift me out. _

_Waterbenders. _

_Our friends. And then they're carrying me, telling me it will be alright. They'll take care of me. _

_My parents? I ask them. Are they coming too? We have to wait for them._

_We have to..._

"I _am_ my lucky charm," Yi Jung says, interrupting the nightmare I've inadvertently walked into. He sees the look on my face and his expression changes to that of concern. "Are you okay?"

I swallow a lump in my throat and nod. I can only nod, my body shaking in little tremors that I'm trying desperately to hide. Sweat beads on my forehead and my chest feels heavy.

_Deep breaths, Ji Hoo. Deep breaths._

"Let's go," I say.

...

A tall perimeter wall of fencing surrounds our camp, and there is only one way in and out (only one that is visible, that is) - a sloppily painted gate on the East end, guarded by two Elite soldiers.

Yi Jung and I are both in full Fire Nation military gear, except we aren't wearing our standard issued helmets with neck guards and the skull-shaped faceplates that attach to them, as it's hard for us to talk to each other with that ugly thing blocking our faces. The faceplates are meant to intimidate humans anyway, not animals. The red armor is heavy and includes a full body cuirass complete with shoulder pads and armored collar. Of course all this, including our boots, are fire resistant.

Most of the soldiers we pass stop what they're doing to greet us. A soldier carrying a tray of buns pauses in front of us, and Yi Jung grabs a couple and hands me one.

"We need to get some cooks here," he says after taking a bite. "These buns are harder than Chen's head. And we need some real food. Not boiled something every day." He swallows the rest of the bun in two bites. "I miss the food at home."

"We haven't been here that long, Yi Jung."

"It's long enough for me," he says. "Long enough to realize I should have packed some of my mother's kimchi with me."

"What took you two so long? Doing your hair?" Woo Bin teases when we reach him. He's wrapping a strip of cloth around his left hand, his right hand already covered in red cloth. His top knot is perfectly centered, not a stray hair to be found.

The top-knot is a sign of honor in the Fire Nation. Most people just wear a plain strip of red ribbon around it, but the rich have more elaborate ones. Even though our families are rich, we prefer to wear plain ribbons when we're out on duty. No need to wear our social status in front of everyone here. Our military status is intimidating enough.

"I'm so glad you noticed," Yi Jung answers, used to Woo Bin's banter. Not many people can talk to Woo Bin like that, given his position, but Yi Jung gets away with it. When it's just the four of us and we're not on a mission, we talk to each other as friends, not comrades.

"Where's Jun Pyo?" My eyes scan around for signs of our curly haired leader.

Woo Bin smirks. "He'll follow. You know how he likes to make an entrance."

...

"It's sleeping," Yi Jung says, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Thanks, captain obvious," Woo Bin says

I look at the komodo rhino lying on its side under a small acacia tree. At first I thought it was dead, but looking closely I can see its chest rising up and down very, very slowly.

"Should we wake it?" I ask, hesitantly. We've never tried to catch a wild komodo rhino before. The ones we've ridden have been domesticated.

"Well, we're not going to just stand here and stare at it until it wakes," Woo Bin says. He points his chin at Yi Jung. "Wake it up."

Yi Jung pauses for a second. Then he grabs a rock and throws it at the beast, hitting its belly. The beast doesn't even stir.

"Great job," I mock. "I'm sure it will wake any minute now."

"You try then," Yi Jung dares.

It's my turn to pause. "These things eat plants right?"

"It eats that very tree it's sleeping under," Woo Bin points, "so don't worry, it won't try to eat you."

Maybe just gorge me to death.

The komodo rhino's hide is thick and tough as steel, and three large, curved horns dominate its face. There are two horns curving down from its forehead and one curving upward from its snout. All three sharp enough to tear me apart. Its tail is long but its feet are short, muscular and sharply clawed.

"What's the plan?" I ask, as I inch closer to the sleeping animal.

"The plan?" Woo Bin looks puzzled. "The plan is to wake it up so we can put a leash on it and take it back to camp."

"Do you think it would do that without a fight if we ask nicely?" Yi Jung says.

We both look at Yi Jung to see if he's joking. I'm betting he's not.

"Why don't you try?" I dare him back.

"It's your turn," he says.

"I INSIST," I say, a little louder.

"NO, I INSIST," he shouts.

"Good job guys," Woo Bin interrupts.

We turn to see the komodo rhino's eyes are wide open. Komodo rhinos have very small ears but we're standing just a few feet away from it and screaming at each other. Its eyes fall on the saddle in Woo Bin's arms. In a split second the beast rolls over and stands on four legs, its horns pointing dangerously at us, no doubt having figured out what we were up to.

It's angry. It's probably not the first time someone tried to capture it.

"Time to go," Woo Bin suggests, his dark brown hair disappearing among the trees ahead.

_Good idea. _

Yi Jung has already vanished, so I'm left to run for my life. The ground shakes with every step the beast takes, its horns uprooting trees as it went, sending chunks of earth and grass flying through the air, creating a camouflage of dirt and dust. If it wasn't for the fact that I can hear it behind me, I would never know it's still chasing after us.

Well, just me, I suppose. It's chasing after me.

Every now and then I look back to see how close it's getting, which is a mistake because the cloud of dust it's stirred up has reduced visibility to almost zero, causing me to trip on something hard, sending me rolling on the ground. The taste of earth meets my mouth but I have no time to think of anything because I can hear it coming closer. It can't see me but it can sure crush me.

My legs shake from the effort of pulling myself up, and I start moving again but I know it's too late. My clumsiness has cost me time, and quite possibly my life. The best thing I can hope for is some broken bones.

The sound is so loud I fight the urge to cover my ears.

_Here it comes._

Suddenly a massive rock shoots out of nowhere and hits the beast's side, as I catch a glimpse of gray skin rolling away from me.

"Daydreaming again, Ji Hoo?" Woo Bin asks as I pass him hiding behind a tree. I don't need anyone to tell me who threw the boulder. Only Woo Bin has the strength to throw that as though it weighed nothing.

"Thanks," I shout, regaining speed again. Thankfully nothing broke when I fell earlier. We're trained to fall without injuring ourselves, but we never trained how _not _to get impaled by a charging komodo rhino.

A shudder on the ground tells me the beast is back on my trail. Woo Bin's diversion bought me time. The hit would not have hurt the animal, its hide protects it like an armor. An impervious armor.

I dare not look behind but the sound of its pursuit is getting stronger. My legs are starting to weaken from exhaustion. I wasn't planning on running a marathon today.

_Too close. It's getting too close again._

Yi Jung emerges behind me, seemingly out of nowhere, and starts screaming and waving his hands. With all the noise around you'd think it would be ineffective, but he's also wearing all red which is a universal color for angry animals to charge at.

"You know, if you go any slower you'd end up right behind him," Yi Jung teases, as he dashes away from me, still waving his arms, a red bandana in his hand, the komodo rhino now on his trail.

_Sure, easy for you to say_.

Yi Jung is fast. And not just faster than me. He's the fastest guy I've ever met. When we first met I challenged him to a race, one that I lost miserably. After that, I never challenged him to a race again.

My legs are on autopilot, running faster than they've ever done before, passing fallen trees leaning drunkenly against each other. The trees are thinning out ahead, and I can see a clear path devoid of trees except for a few on the side. I almost run into one of them and manage to swerve at the last minute to avoid it. My clothes are sticky with sweat and caked in mud, and I can only imagine the condition of my face.

I reach the edge of a cliff and swing up onto the nearest tree, branches scraping my skin in my haste. Not that it would save me. The komodo rhino can tear it up like paper.

Yi Jung reappears, heading straight towards me. A hundred feet away he vanishes, but the beast is still heading for me, its speed uncanny to watch from where I'm perched. For something with short legs, it sure can run fast. The dust has settled as the beast has a clear view of its prey now.

The ground shudders as it nears me, and I brace myself for impact. With Yi Jung and Woo Bin nowhere to be found and the cloud of dust gone, the only visible target left is me. Even if I stay still, my red uniform and copper-colored hair is a stark enough contrast in this brown and green landscape for me to stand out.

My eyes are on it as it thunders straight towards my tree.

_Here we go._

My body tenses.

A ring of fire explodes thirty feet away, and the heat reaches me up in my tree. I turn my head away on instinct but the smell of burning hair tells me it's too late. My eyebrows are probably singed. Again. I look back just as the beast trips on its legs in its attempt to stop itself from heading straight towards it. It rolls at least three times, chunks of earth and grass flying everywhere.

Komodo rhinos are covered in armor, and fire does not scare it.

But this fire does. Because this is no ordinary fire.

A figure emerges at the source of that blazing ring - a tall, fearsome figure – our leader, Jun Pyo.

Jun Pyo walks with that airy confidence of one who has already won the fight. The beast cowers, trapped in the ring, all fierceness gone. You'd think it would attack and fight its way out, but it doesn't. Maybe because it knows it can't run away. Not from Jun Pyo's fire anyway.

When you're face to face with someone like Jun Pyo, you know that fighting back will get you nowhere.

"Hey, I thought we said no firebending!" Yi Jung complains.

Woo Bin gestures to Jun Pyo. "You tell him that."

Jun Pyo is holding a leather strap that looks like a noose, and he slips it around the animal's neck, all the while muttering softly to the animal's small ears. The fire around them vanishes almost as soon as it appeared, and as Jun Pyo rubs the beast's head it lowers itself onto the ground, seemingly pacified. Woo Bin hands him the saddle and Jun Pyo throws it on top of the animal, without ceasing to stroke the beast's head. We fasten the saddle as quietly and as quickly as we could, taking care not to disturb its private commune with Jun Pyo.

"Where did he learn to do that?" I hear Yi Jung ask Woo Bin.

Jun Pyo lifts his chin up and effortlessly hops on to the beast, holding the ropes attached to the noose as a rein. "Well, I've got my ride." He glances at the three of us looking up at him and smiles. "Thanks for the help. You guys coming?" Without waiting for a reply he spurs the beast back the way it came, and after a few hesitant steps it gets going and soon enough we're left in the wake of its dust.

Woo Bin gives a small, nonchalant shrug. "I guess we're walking then."

"Do you think the komodo rhino could have carried all four of us back to camp?" Yi Jung asks as Jun Pyo's retreating figure gets smaller and smaller.

"Probably," Woo Bin says.

"Well that's just mean," Yi Jung says.

"Why, are your legs tired? Can't run anymore?" I tease.

"Of course not," Yi Jung snaps back. "Wanna race?" Yi Jung's dimples make an appearance and Woo Bin and I both groan.

"Not even a little bit," I say, and all three of us start walking back, our matching red uniforms a dead giveaway to our nation.

...

* * *

**Avatar tidbit:** In the world of Avatar, the animals are normally hybrids of two animals. Hence, _komodo rhino, chicken duck, ant beetle, etc._


	3. Firebending 101

"_I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it."_ \- Maya Angelou

**Chapter 2: Firebending 101**

Over two dozen faces look back at me, most with a mixture of fear and excitement in their eyes, while some have a blank look painted on. From their clothes I gather some of them did not volunteer to join, but were 'voluntold', probably by their families. Soldiers don't get paid a lot, but you get free room and board, and a small paycheck. Not that the money ever mattered to Jun Pyo, Woo Bin, Yi Jung, and I. Come to think of it, we don't care much for the room and board either.

"My name is Yoon Ji Hoo. I'm one of the senior officers in this camp," I shout, though I could have whispered and they would still have heard me. Some of them stood even straighter, some swallowed hard. "Welcome to the Shinhwa outpost. Here your top officer is Gu Jun Pyo." I gesture to Jun Pyo, who is standing behind me. He gives a small nod in response. "Your second in command is Song Woo Bin." Woo Bin is standing beside Jun Pyo, and he raises his right hand for a second so they can see who I'm talking about. "And your third is So Yi Jung." Yi Jung is standing beside me and gives a small wave. "Yi Jung and I will be training you."

We stand side by side in full Fire Nation uniform, complete with head gear. No faceplates still, because I doubt they'd be able to hear me clearly with that on.

"We've been told you're all firebenders," Yi Jung announces, and we see doubts on the faces of some of the recruits. Yi Jung raises an eyebrow and gives me an incredulous look. Some of the recruits lower their head, avoiding eye contact. "_Do they not know if they're firebenders?_" Yi Jung whispers in disbelief. "_Don't they test us before we could even walk?_"

When a child is born in the Fire Nation, the first thing the parents check is whether the child can firebend. This is done by holding a ball of tinder underneath their nose and seeing if it catches on fire. Of course, just because it didn't doesn't automatically disqualify them from being firebenders. But most Fire Nation children are tested this way. My grandfather once told me when I was only a day old, I sneezed and almost set his beard on fire. I'm not sure if I completely believe him, but it makes for a good story.

"Where did they get these guys?" Yi Jung mutters.

"Most of them are still boys," I answer, scanning the faces in front of us. The youngest face look barely thirteen, maybe fourteen. The oldest one is probably not even twenty.

"Ji Hoo, you're seventeen," Yi Jung reminds me. "Don't talk like you're forty."

"I'm still older than you."

"By a few months," he rolls his eyes. He turns back to the group in front of us. "I guess the first thing we'll do is see if you guys ARE firebenders."

He pauses for a few seconds, which I'm guessing is mostly for dramatic effect.

"I hope you guys had enough rest," he finally says. "Because play time is over."

…

"FIREBENDING IS THE ABILITY TO CONTROL FIRE. Fire benders have advantage over the other bending arts, in that _we _can generate fire. Water benders can't create water, earth benders need the earth to move, and air benders, well, they don't exist anymore."

Chuckles ring through the crowd.

"It is the element of power, and that power is drawn from the sun."

I'm walking back and forth in front of them, a ball of fire dancing on the palm of my hand. Their eyes are wide with wonder and excitement, and a few of them even attempt at making their own flame, a few actually succeeding.

These volunteers, or recruits, are going to have to learn to fight.

We're in a war, you see. A war that we're close to winning.

The Air Nomads were the first to go. The water benders are our next target. But there are so few of them left that they're not really a threat anymore. The earth benders, however, they're the ones that pose the greatest risk to our success. There are so many of them and they're scattered all over. We've conquered a few of their towns and set up outposts and camps in some of their most desirable locations, but there is one thing that the Fire Nation has set their focus on to bring the Earth Kingdom down to its knees: Ba Sing Se.

"Yi Feng, bend your knees a little more," I bark at a young soldier on the third row. He immediately complies, eyes wide in fear that I will chastise him some more.

"Use your chi as the source of your bending. Concentrate. Yes, that's right. Breathe in through your nose and out with your mouth. Zhi, are you trying to firebend or smoke us out?"

The tall, skinny boy with the mop of red hair swallows hard and then tries again. Instead of a puff of smoke this time, a small burst of flame erupts from his hand.

"Kick. Whirl. Punch. Yes, faster. Faster! Don't give your enemy time to react. Be aggressive. Attack. Keep attacking. No. Still too slow. What are – No. By the time you've generated fire, your opponent has already knocked you out! Yi Jung – don't hide behind that shack. I saw you. Come here and demonstrate with me."

Yi Jung and I face each other in a makeshift circle. The recruits surround us, highly anticipating what's to come.

"You wearing fireproof clothes today, Ji Hoo?" Yi Jung takes one foot back and turns his body sideways, his hands ready in front of him.

"Always." Without warning I jump in a spinning kick and a blazing ring appears where my feet had been and flies towards Yi Jung. Gasps from the crowd echoes in the air.

Yi Jung is ready for me, however, and uses a swift kick to generate a large enough ball of fire to meet mine and defuses it without much effort. He could have easily avoided my blast, of course, but our demonstration is to show firebending styles, so he's fighting my fire with, well, fire.

"Notice how he used firebending to defend himself," I shout, as Yi Jung and I circle each other. "Most people think firebenders are only good on offensive maneuvers. But this shows you can also do defensive moves."

Before I could even finish my sentence, Yi Jung starts shooting continuous streams of fire from his palms. The streams are getting wider and wider, and if I haven't sparred with him like this before I'm sure he would have hit me by now.

"Fire streaming, what Yi Jung is showing right now, is one of the most basic moves you can master. It's easy but dangerous and very versatile. You can make the stream as thin or as wide as you want, depending on what you want to hit or destroy." Yi Jung narrowly misses my left ear with his last jab, the heat making my eyes water. I raise my arms up and then slice them down fluidly, and a wall of fire erupts between Yi Jung and me, temporarily sheltering me from his attacks. We do this dance for a few more moves, both of us throwing flurries of kicks and punches to each other.

"I think they've seen enough," I nod to Yi Jung. He smiles as the flames dissipate around us.

...

"What's the verdict?" Jun Pyo asks a week later. The four of us are sitting on the head table inside the massive hut we call our dining hall. My ears strain to hear him over the noise of the room. Other soldiers are huddled together casting wary glances at our table, afraid we'd catch them looking.

"We have fifteen firebenders. The others either can't firebend or are just incompetent," I report. I grab a bite of the slop in front of me. It looks like soup. Or maybe it's gruel? It's hard to tell as it looks like someone just threw a whole bunch of leftovers in the pot and hoped for the best. Yi Jung's contorted face tells me he's about to complain about the food. Again.

"Train them anyway," Woo Bin stabs something brown that resembles meat, sniffs it, drops it back in the bowl, and then pushes it away.

"We might have use for them later," Jun Pyo nods his agreement. "Ying told me some of them got hurt?"

Yi Jung grimaces. "One of them got too bold and tried to challenge Hao."

Woo Bin let out a low whistle. "Not a smart move. Hao does not like to be challenged."

Hao is one of the Elite, and is known to have a very short temper.

"And the other found your komodo rhino and decided he was going to ride it."

Jun Pyo's brows shot up. "That's either brave or stupid."

"Well, it was definitely not brave," I say.

"Maybe he thought he was the beast whisperer," Yi Jung says, chuckling. "He's got a broken arm so it will take him a few weeks to recover."

"Is he one of the benders?" Jun Pyo asks.

"Unfortunately, yes. One of the better ones, too," I reply. What a waste. With enough training he could have been as good as one of the Elite.

"Anything else?" Jun Pyo asks, reading my face. "I can tell you have more to say."

"We need better healers in the infirmary. The ones in there barely know what a splint is, let alone tie one."

"We also need cooks," Yi Jung chimes in. "This morning I thought my foot was starting to look like a potato."

"That has nothing to do with the food," I say, and Yi Jung gives me a playful punch on the shoulder.

Jun Pyo leans back and scratches his chin. His food is untouched, which tells me he shares the same sentiment as Yi Jung. "I'll think about it."

Yi Jung brightens up at this, in his mind Jun Pyo has already said yes. "My nana is a good cook," he says, brandishing his chopsticks around.

"We're not bringing your nana to camp, Yi Jung," Woo Bin laughs.

"Too bad," he frowns. "She makes the best dumplings."

"The dumplings will have to wait," I tell him.

We eat (or try to, anyway) in silence until the hall is half empty, the remaining soldiers taking their time with their food.

"I need to discuss some things with you guys" Jun Pyo says. "Let's go back to my office and talk."

We pack up and head out, and are almost at Jun Pyo's office when the sounds of laughter ring in the air.

"Try and take it!" came a jeer.

"Aww...are you afraid of us?"

"Tell you what, if you can show us some firebending we'll give it back," came another taunt.

It was only when we were a few feet away that I saw the source of their laughter – in the middle of their small circle there is a recruit trying desperately to retrieve his shoes from one of the laughing soldiers. Two of those laughing soldiers are members of the Elite.

I recognize the recruit – Ju Dong - a small, skinny kid with a bowl cut. If his haircut isn't enough ammunition for the others to make fun of him, he's also a non-fire bender, which, in a camp full of fire benders, is not in his favor.

It's not that we don't like non-benders here. With enough training they can prove useful, too. We send them out on patrol, or to neighboring villages to help the soldiers stationed there. The ones who stay here after training become errand boys. They're the ones who cook, clean, and fetch water for us. One would think that as a punishment, but the ones who stay don't seem to mind it. After all, they get fed, paid, have a bed to sleep in and don't even have to risk their necks in the war.

They're pushing Ju Dong back and forth, taunting him to fight back, calling him names. Ju Dong is silent through all this, his head lowered, his lips pursed. He's trying to get out of the small circle but they have him trapped.

Jun Pyo and the others don't even pause, used to seeing things like this. New recruits get picked on all the time. That's how things are here. We never interfere.

Something keeps me glued to my spot and I'm stuck there staring at him. At this poor soul who stands no chance against his oppressors.

"Ji Hoo, you coming?" Woo Bin calls out from Jun Pyo's office.

_Forget it, Ji Hoo. Don't interfere. This is not something you do. Continue acting like you don't care._

I force myself to look away and to keep walking, ignoring the feeling stirring up inside me.

Woo Bin notices my hesitation. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah."

Woo Bin and Yi Jung sit around Jun Pyo's desk, but I stand near the window, where I can still hear the faint sounds of mockery.

"...think you guys need a day off," Jun Pyo says. "What do you think, Ji Hoo?"

"Uh," I start, trying to remember what he said. I only caught bits and pieces of it, my mind not completely present. Yi Jung puts a thumb up, our signal for yes. "Uh, yes, yes, we need a day off."

"I'm asking more for your trainees, not you two," Jun Pyo raises a brow.

"They are exhausted. We've been training them hard from sun up to sun down," I add.

Jun Pyo nods. "Good. We'll give them tomorrow to recover. Next we need to talk about what to do until our supplies arrive..."

Our meeting goes on until late at night, and, by the end, even Woo Bin's eyes couldn't stay open anymore.

"Let's call it a night," Jun Pyo says, and we murmur our assent.

I'm about to leave when a book on Jun Pyo's shelf catches my eye. The cover has a leaf on it, and its spine is not as well-worn as the others beside it.

"You can take that if you want," Jun Pyo says. He yawns a little, then stretches his arms. "I'm going to bed."

It's a book about medicine. The first few pages are drawings of different herbs and their uses. Some of the plants I recognize, others completely foreign to me.

_I'll just flip through, then I'll return it._

Before I know it, I'm back in my room, the book still in my hand.

"I'm exhausted," Yi Jung collapses onto his bed. The thin partition we call a wall does nothing to block the sound of his voice.

"Go to sleep then," I say, turning the page. I kick off my shoes and sit up on the bed, my back to the wall. There's a lamp beside that's giving off a dim light, so I boost its flame with a flick of my wrist, just enough to be able to read, without setting our flimsy house on fire.

"I'm going to sleep all day tomorrow," Yi Jung says, his voice muffled. I'm betting he's lying face down on his pillow again. "What are you doing on our day off?"

"I think I'll take a walk," I reply absentmindedly, my mind still absorbing the contents of the book.

Yi Jung's reply comes in the form of a soft, rhythmic snore.

Yes, a walk seems like a good idea. It would be nice to get out of camp. Maybe I'll walk to the nearest market and see what they have to offer.

It would be nice to have a quiet, relaxing day again.

…

The market is already bustling with activity when I arrive, and it's only been a few hours after sunrise. I left Yi Jung snoring happily before the sun came up. I've always been an early riser, but something about today woke me up earlier than normal.

I don't know why but I have a good feeling about today.

Rows of tables and booths full of produce and goods litter the street, with vendors calling out their wares to the customers who pass them by.

"Potatoes! Zucchini! Cucumbers! Get your fresh vegetables here!"

"Pots! Freshly made clay pots for sale!"

"Shoes! The best leather shoes in the Earth Kingdom here!"

"Cabbages! Nothing but good cabbages here!"

Maybe I should get some cabbages for Yi Jung. He keeps complaining about wanting kimchi.

Can Yi Jung actually make kimchi though?

I hand the cabbage seller enough coins for two heads of cabbages.

"Would the young man care for some tea?" An old pot-bellied man offers as I pass his stall. I pause to look at some of the intricately decorated tea pots, and the old man's face lights up, expecting a sale.

My grandfather would love some tea. I haven't seen him in months, though, and I'm not sure when I'll see him again.

"We have the best jasmine tea here," the vendor says to me. He holds up a freshly brewed pot and lifts the lid for me to smell. The smell is aromatic and memories of having late night tea with my grandfather while he lectures me on destiny and the ways of life come back with every whiff.

"I'll take a pound of that," I nod, to which the man flashes me a gap-toothed smile. "And this infuser too. And maybe that green tea pot with the lotus flowers on it."

The tea vendor is bouncing on his heels as I hand him a handful of coins. By the time I leave his stall, my sack is almost full, my wallet almost empty. I wasn't planning on buying this much, but I got a little carried away.

Fire Nation soldiers march up and down the streets, some recognize me and give a small nod in greeting. At the end of the street, on the way out, is a stall selling masks. The masks vary in color and sizes, but one particular mask catches my eye.

These masks are commonly bought for festivals so it's not the first time I've seen this particular mask.

"I see you've got an eye for this one," the stall owner picks up the blue mask and hands it to me.

I turn it over and inspect it closer. It's blue, with white outlines for the eyes, nose and mouth, and has a huge toothy grin with fangs on either end. It looks mischievous and mysterious at the same time, and I can't take my eyes off it.

"I don't have parties to go to so I have no use for this," I politely decline, handing him back the mask. But my eyes are still glued to the wide grin permanently etched on its face.

The seller can smell my attraction to it so he presses on. "Perhaps you want to be someone else without anyone knowing? Masks can hide identities too, you know?"

Ha. Me? Why would I want to hide my identity? Why would I want to be anyone else? I'm happy with who I am, aren't I?

Aren't I?

He clears his throat and places the mask in my hand once again, seeing defeat on my face.

"Handsome young man like you may want to remain anonymous sometimes, right? This is our most popular mask, and I only have a few of this left."

I shouldn't. I really shouldn't. But the pull is too strong so I hand him some coins and stuff it in my bag along with my other purchases.

Okay, now I really have to go back. And find a way to hide all these from Yi Jung or I'll never hear the end of it.

I decide to take a different route on my way back, not caring if it took me twice as long. This path wound through the trees inside Yokin forest. I know because I've been here a few times. A wild grouse duck greets me as soon as I step in. It doesn't move out of the way, maybe because it's used to seeing people, or maybe because it doesn't think I'm a threat to its existence. I'm almost on top of it when it finally scurries away into the bushes, but it gets me thinking.

Yi Jung is always complaining about our food back in camp. He also recently mentioned a penchant for fried chicken duck which sounds really good right about now. These wild grouse ducks are everywhere, and I'm sure they'd taste the same if we fried them. How hard could frying these be?

Finally decided that I'm bringing some of these birds back to camp, I set up a few traps on the ground, climb up the nearest tree with my sack of goods, and wait.

Waiting makes me hungry so I take out one of the still warm steamed buns I bought at the market and start eating it. My ears are on the alert for any signs that my traps have been triggered, but so far nothing.

It's okay, I can wait. My perch is high enough to keep me hidden from those on the ground, which is a good idea because I am still on earthbender territory. I don't want the ground to suddenly throw me up if an earthbender spies me.

I'm about to bite into a fried dumpling when I see her.

She walks with her head lowered, as if she's searching for something. In her right hand is a small wicker basket full of greenery, on her left a tiny shovel. There's a water skin tied to her waist. She bends down to inspect a plant, sniffs it, then proceeds to dig it out and put it in her basket.

I sit up higher and try to see what kind of plants she's digging up. Herbs maybe? My recent foray into medicinal herbs has me trying to identify what kind but I'm too far to see it closely. Lavender? Sage? I can't tell. She's going around in the same area, meticulously digging up these plants. And I think she's humming a song.

A noise somewhere interrupts her digging and she looks up and I see her face.

She's young, with small, innocent eyes. Her hair is cut short, just a few inches below her chin, with bangs at the front, and there is a green ribbon tied around her head.  
She's from the Earth Kingdom, then.

She wears a long, pale green robe that reaches up to her feet, and on her left arm is a white band – the symbol for Earth Kingdom healers.

A healer. Now the plants she's picking makes sense.

"What are you doing out here?" a rough voice calls out from behind her. Three men appear, all wearing fire nation uniforms.

She's startled for a few seconds but quickly recovers and stands up very slowly. She points to her basket. "I'm just picking herbs."

"You're not supposed to be out here," another voice, this one coming from a short and burly soldier.

"I'm almost done. I'll be leaving soon," she says, in a small voice.

"How do we know you're not a spy?" the third soldier says. He's taller than the other two, but skinnier.

She looks at them in disbelief. "I'm from the village of Bongsoon, close to here. You can check."

I don't recognize any of these soldiers. They're not ones we trained, or have come across.

"Are you an earth bender?" the first soldier asks, stepping closer to her. "Let's see what's in that basket."

She hands it to him, and he upends the basket onto the ground, spilling its contents.

She grits her teeth but doesn't say anything, and then bends down and starts collecting them back into her basket.

"Answer me," growls soldier one.

"I'm a healer," she tries to explain. "I use these to make medicine."

Soldier one doesn't look convinced. "Why are you out here all by yourself? You're a spy, aren't you? Earth bender!"

"Look here," she says, "if you guys are smart you'd know I'm not an earth bender. Otherwise I would have opened up the earth to swallow the three of you by now."

_Now_ she has my interest piqued. Who is this girl bold enough to talk like that to three fire nation soldiers?

"How dare you talk to us like that!" the tall soldier bellows. "Don't you know who we are? We're the Elite!" He deliberately steps on the herbs on the ground, narrowly missing her fingers.

"The who?" she says, nonchalantly.

"The Elite! Don't tell me you don't know who we are! The _best_ fire benders in the nation," soldier two continues. "You dare talk to us like that! Why, we could burn your entire village for your insolence!"

Instead of looking afraid she looks unimpressed. This seems to aggravate the soldiers more.

These soldiers are NOT members of the Elite, though. I know this because I'm one of the Elite leaders. These three are impostors.

"Really?" she says, a brow arched. She looks them up from head to toe. If I didn't know any better, I'd think she's getting ready to fight.

Soldier three gets defensive. He holds his palm up and shoots a fireball onto the ground, right on top of the trampled mass of herbs. "Really." The herbs go up in a puff of smoke, and he lifts his chin up in a condescending sneer.

A gasp escapes her throat, and she clenches her fist. "And who might you be, Mister Elite, sir?" There's a slight mocking tone to her voice.

Soldier three puffs his chest out, trying to make himself taller than he is. He looks down on her and then says, "Remember this name: Yoon Ji Hoo. I'm one of the best."

I almost fall out of the tree at the sound of my name.

Why that impostor…

At least if he was to impersonate me, he should have the skills to match. But from what I've seen, he's all mouth.

Her smile is sweet but dangerous. "Well, Mister Yoon Ji Hoo, do you always pick on someone you consider lesser than you? You'd think a top soldier like yourself would have more pride than that." She bows exaggeratingly low. "Now, if you kind soldiers would excuse me, I have to be on my way." She tries to leave but they block her way. She's trapped in the middle of their circle now, but doesn't cower or plead. Instead she stands straight, her head held high.

"You mocking us?" soldier one says. He shoots fire near her feet, singing the ground around it. She doesn't move, but it's obvious she's holding back. Even though these soldiers aren't Elite, they're still fire benders. Granted, they're soldiers with terrible fire bending skills, but she's still no match for them.

Interfering in these kinds of things is not something I do, not something the Elite does. We keep to our own, do our jobs, do our missions. But there's something grating about these soldiers picking on a helpless girl. A healer at that.

Plus, it's really annoying that one of them is impersonating me.

As a nation, we're told from the start that we are superior to the other nations. We grow up with this kind of thinking embedded in us. Most of the time, fire benders are more than happy to demonstrate this kind of superiority to others. Like in this particular instance.

The three soldiers roar with laughter.

_Ignore it, Ji Hoo. Just turn away. Walk away. If you help her, they'll report you to the General, and then you'll be put on disciplinary action. _

It's time for me to leave before I do anything I'll regret.

I scurry down the tree with the sack in my hand but lose my grip and it falls to the ground.

Something blue rolls out of the sack.

The mask. It's staring back at me.

The mask that's a sign of anonymity.

I may not know these soldiers, but it's safe to say they know my face since they know my name.

The mask is on my face before I even realize it.

_What are you doing, Ji Hoo?_

Fortunately, I wore all black to go to the market, having left my uniform in camp.

Would they recognize me as a fire nation soldier? As an Elite? As Yoon Ji Hoo?

Only one way to find out.

….

There's anger in her eyes. She's clutching on to the water bottle so tight water is seeping out the top. The soldiers are circling her, passing fireballs back and forth, taunting her to fight back.

I manage to creep unseen until I'm right behind them. I tap soldier three on the shoulder and his eyes pop when he sees me standing there.

"What the -? Who are you?"

The other two don't know what to make of me, whether I'm a threat or an ally.

"Costume party's that way," soldier one grins, pointing behind me.

I don't move or reply. I'm hoping the mask and my black outfit looks intimidating enough.  
I can't firebend since I can't let them know I'm also a fire bender. They're bound to ask around and I can't risk being found out.

"Quiet one, are we?" soldier two says. Their attention is now on me, while the girl is free to run. But she doesn't run away.

"Why are you wearing a mask?" soldier three says. "Are you that ugly you have to cover your face?"

They're circling me, hurling insults, trying to get me to retaliate in some way. I just stand there, biding my time.

Finally, one of them gets tired and hurls a huge ball of fire at my head. I dodge it easily, almost in slow motion. Compared to Yi Jung's blasts, these ones are nothing.

The flame hits the other soldier's shoulder and he yelps loudly, putting the flame out.

"Trying to be funny, are we?" The three of them start throwing fireballs at me as fast as they can.

Still not fast enough. They haven't hit me once. I'm tiptoeing around them getting in some jabs and punches.

Now they're getting angry. And careless.

"What are you?" one of them asks, horrified.

After this is over, I need to find out who trained these dummies.

One of them gets tired of hurling flames at me and throws a stick in my direction. My hand automatically reaches up to catch it.

Finally, a weapon!

I twirl the stick to create a whirlwind to deflect the flames that are coming my way, then poke their ribs in quick succession, and they collapse into the ground, writhing and groaning. One of them tries to stand up but I sweep my weapon under his feet and he comes crashing back to the ground with a loud thud.

I check on the girl and she's now standing behind me quietly watching the fight. She's completely abandoned the charred remains of her basket, and her eyes are not full of fear but curiosity.

The three soldiers try to stand up and flank me, but I stand protectively in front of the girl and hold my stick parallel to the ground.

When the three of them charge towards me, I swing the stick around and move forward as I strike, never leaving them an opening to retaliate. A little twist here, a slight flick there, and I've driven them back. I strike diagonally and then a final stab, and they're down again.

Behind my mask, I'm grinning. I haven't had this much fun in as long as I can remember. It's exhilarating. I can do this all day.

But they can't. When they stand up again, it's not to head towards me but to run away. One of them keeps glancing back to see if I'm following he runs face first into a tree.

Ouch.

When the coast is clear, I turn towards the girl. She's still watching me.

Her almond shaped eyes are dark brown, and her lips are curved into a small smile. "Thank you," she says.

She follows my eyes as it falls onto the burned heap at her feet.

"It's okay," she says, "I can get more."

I can't speak so I merely nod.

We both look at where the soldiers ran to.

"I'm not that far from here," she says. "I can make it back home without taking that road."

Another nod. I realize I'm still holding the stick. It's got good weight and balance. Maybe I'll keep this.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" she asks, taking a step towards me.

I can't tell her I've been training all my life. I can't tell her as a member of the Elite, we're trained in other weapons other than firebending. That we're taught to use anything we can grab to fight in case we can't firebend. And that a _bo_ (that is, a stick), is one of my favorite weapons.

I can't tell her these so I just stand there like a statue. Like a dumb statue.

"I guess either you can't talk or you _won't _talk," she muses aloud. "It's okay."

She starts walking the opposite direction of where the soldiers ran to, and then pauses. "I hope we meet again."

When she's completely out of sight my body relaxes and I heave out a deep sigh. I didn't realize how tense I was when she was there.

For her sake, I hope we never meet again.

….


	4. Cabbages and Chen

_"When it rains, look for rainbows. When it's dark, look for stars."_ \- Anon

**Chapter 3: Cabbages and Chen**

"Cabbages! You got me cabbages!" Yi Jung's voice is loud enough to grab the attention of the soldiers around us. He's grinning from ear to ear, clutching the cabbages as though they were his best friends.

"Do you know how to make kimchi?" I ask.

"Do I ever!" Yi Jung exclaims. He practically runs to the cook shack, cabbages in hand. A few curious soldiers follow us to the kitchen.

"What's he doing?" Elan, one of the Elite, asks.

"Apparently, he's going to make kimchi," I say. Excited murmurs spread through the crowd.

"I've watched my nana do this plenty of times," Yi Jung says. He flexes his fingers, cracks his neck, and then grabs a knife and a chopping block. "First she chops the cabbages."

"Then what?"

"Then she sprinkles it with a lot of salt." He places the cabbage in a large bowl and generously douses it with salt.

"Isn't that too much salt?"

He glares at me. "Who's making kimchi here? Is it you or me? Hand me that pitcher."

He starts pouring water over the cabbage, just enough to cover it.

"Then we wait for a few hours," he says with a smug grin. The soldiers file out, with a promise to be back in a few hours.

"I didn't think you had it in you, but I'm pleasantly surprised," I pat him on the back.

A few hours later we head back to the kitchen. Yi Jung is staring at the soaked cabbages and scratching his head. This is not a good sign.

"Then what?" I ask.

"My nana makes a paste to put on it."

"Let's make it then. I'll help," I offer. Thoughts of having kimchi tonight is making my mouth water.

He winces. "I don't know how to make the paste."

"I thought you said you've watched your nana do this, and I quote, _'plenty of times_?'"

"I did. But after she puts water in the bowl to soak for a few hours, she sends me off to do something else. She says I can't stare at the bowl while waiting. By the time I get back, my nana's already made the paste."

"Aw, I knew it was too good to be true!" Hao says. A few more groans confirm the rest have lost hope. One by one, they file out, casting a final glance at the almost-but-not-quite bowl of kimchi.

"Sorry to disappoint you," Yi Jung says.

We both look longingly at the bowl. My stomach makes a loud gurgling sound.

"It's okay, Yi Jung. We probably don't have the ingredients here, anyway."

He pauses for a few seconds and then his face lights up. "Let's make our own paste! With whatever we can find in the kitchen. I mean, how hard can it be?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea..."

"What if, now hear me out before you shake your head, what if we actually make something good, something that would put kimchi to shame?"

Or put us to shame.

"Yi Jung, I'm not sure we should..."

But he's already rummaging through the kitchen cupboards, bringing out whatever he can find.

"Ji Hoo, rinse the cabbage and I'll make a paste. You just wait. This will be the best kimchi you've ever had."

…

Yi Jung is half-right; I have to hand him that. What he made, though it is not kimchi, is pretty good stuff.

"What do you call this again?" Woo Bin asks. He spoons a heap of the cabbage dish on to his plate.

Yi Jung beams. "It's called...wait for it, _Yi Jung surprise_."

Jun Pyo looks at him suspiciously. "What's the surprise?" He's eyeing his spoon as though a bug would jump out of it any minute.

"It's a surprise because he wasn't expecting it to turn out this good," I laugh. "He just threw a bunch of things together and hoped for the best. I doubt he can make this again."

"Is that a bet, Ji Hoo?" Yi Jung dares.

"Uh uh. I'm done making bets with you," I chuckle. Bets with Yi Jung never end well. At least, not for me.

The atmosphere in the dining hall is bright and cheery, everyone glad to have something different (and tasty) for a change. Soldiers are chattering excitedly among themselves, and even Jun Pyo is eating more than usual.

The door bursts open, and a soldier carrying a letter heads straight for Jun Pyo.

"This just came in from a messenger bird," he says.

Jun Pyo calmly sets his chopsticks on the table, then takes the letter.

"Trouble?" Woo Bin asks.

Jun Pyo dismisses the soldier and shakes his head. "Not really." He hands the letter to Woo Bin. "Apparently, a masked man just attacked several fire nation soldiers not too far from here."

I pause halfway into stuffing my mouth.

Uh oh. I wonder if they suspect anything. How did the news get here so fast? My heart is in a frenzy but I keep my face blank. "And they want us to do what?" I manage to ask.

"Root him out," Yi Jung says. He hands me the paper but I don't look at it. I don't need to. "They want help tracking him. Says he'll cause trouble for the fire nation."

"Are we going to?" I ask. I hope they can't hear my chest thumping.

"No," Jun Pyo says. "This masked man is not our problem. I know one of the soldiers he attacked, and I'm guessing he probably deserved it."

_That's right. He did deserve it._

Whew. I can finally breathe again.

"But," Jun Pyo adds, "if he attacks one of the Elite, we'll have to deal with him."

Thankfully, I know better than that.

…

I told myself I wasn't going to do it again. That my good deed was a one-time thing.

The problem is, every time I think about how it made me feel, that feeling of freedom, that intoxicating feeling akin to flying, the craving hits me hard. So hard it makes it impossible to sleep at night.

I sneak out just after Yi Jung falls asleep, and run towards the nearest hamlet. The mask is on my face before I spy the first house and my all-black outfit blends well in the dark.

This place is smaller than the market village, and much closer to our outpost. There are very few houses here, all built extremely close together. I'm sure if you sneeze in one, the entire hamlet will hear you.

There aren't many fire nation soldiers here, either. They walk in groups of two, some looking bored out of their wits. I bet the most exciting thing that happened here was when we got lost and asked for directions several weeks ago.

Well, I'm about to change that.

…

My nightly escapades to set my alter ego loose is starting to take a toll on me. Often I find myself randomly falling asleep throughout the day. I've been very careful not to get tangled with one of the Elite, though, because that would certainly spell disaster.

"Did you hear? That masked man has been seen a few times this week," Yi Jung says to me the next day.

I stifle a yawn. "Really? What's he doing?"

"Just annoying soldiers," Yi Jung says. He walks into my room and sits on my bed. "He's been setting captured animals free, stealing food from the storehouses and distributing it to the villagers, and apparently helped a little old lady cross the street."

Okay, that last deed was unplanned. She was carrying a huge bundle of straw late at night and was struggling to walk.

"He doesn't sound so bad," I say. "Those are pretty minor things."

"They are," Yi Jung says. He wrinkles his forehead. We start walking towards the dining hall to get breakfast. "Which makes me wonder what the point is. I mean, he's stealthy. Aside from the soldiers he beat up and the old lady he helped, I don't think anyone's seen him up close. They just get a glimpse of the mask."

"So?"

"So he could do more damage if he wants to. He's obviously got skills."

I shrug. "Maybe he's just bored."

Yi Jung nods. "That would make sense. Or he's hiding something."

This stops me in my tracks. Do they suspect anything?

"Like what?" I ask carefully.

Yi Jung looks me in the eye. "Maybe...it's a girl under that mask."

Whew.

"Maybe that's why she's not showing her face. One of the villagers, no doubt. Just trying to get back at the soldiers," Yi Jung continues. "She's not strong enough to have a direct confrontation with them so she sneaks around."

"What about when _she _beat those soldiers? She was certainly strong enough then," I point out.

"Maybe_ she_ got lucky then. They were taken by surprise," Yi Jung reasons. We look for our usual spot and find Woo Bin and Jun Pyo already there.

"You guys are late," Woo Bin says as we set our trays down. Today's menu looks like cabbage rolls stuffed with rice. It's not bad, but it's not great either.

"We were discussing the blue spirit," Yi Jung says, lowering his voice mysteriously.

Jun Pyo lifts an eyebrow. "The blue spirit?"

"That's what I'm calling it from now on," Yi Jung explains. "Whoever it is wears a blue mask and pops in and out like mushrooms!"

I groan. "It would never catch on, Yi Jung."

"Anyway, I have a theory," Yi Jung leans in closer. "I think it's a girl behind that mask."

Woo Bin chuckles. "Of course it is." He shakes his head. "You and your crazy theories. You might as well say it's one of us behind that mask. Maybe it's Ji Hoo."

My heart stops for two beats before I realize they're all staring at me.

_Laugh, smile, say anything._

"Yeah, maybe it's me," I manage to say, hoping my voice isn't shaking.

Yi Jung pauses for a few seconds and then waves his hand dismissively. "Fine, fine. I'll drop it. Geez, you guys have no sense of imagination."

"And you have too much of it," Woo Bin pats him playfully on the back. "That mask IS quite popular lately though. I saw several people wearing it – men, women and children alike – when I went to town yesterday. And I guess it's in every town. Whoever is selling them is making a lot of money right now."

"It's probably a publicity stunt, then," Yi Jung pulls a face. "The mask vendor promoting his masks at night. Gets everyone to buy it and in turn gets free exposure."

Jun Pyo nods. "That's possible. But let's keep an eye on things just in case."

…

The moon is at its peak in the sky and it's full and bright outside my window.

I can't sleep again.

I know my alter ego has been getting some attention lately. But aside from Yi Jung's too-close-for-comfort suspicion, I haven't been found out.

It's exciting and scary at the same time. My mask and black suit are safely stashed inside the hollow of a tree I found in the woods the other day, along with the stick that's become my new favorite weapon. I have to thank those guys for giving me that.

Yi Jung's snore from the next room is in its usual rhythm, indicating how deep he is in sleep. I throw the blanket off and head out, footsteps making no sound as I run to the woods.

From a distance I can see the flickering of the lamp posts and a few huts clustered together surrounded by trees. It's the second time I'm visiting this place. The first time was just to scout around – I was bored that night. There are no fire nation soldiers on patrol here so I just looked around and found a barn with crates of old books. It was late so I didn't get a chance to look through the crates so I figured tonight should be a good night to do it. It's quiet, save for a few whispers in the huts here and there.

Tall double doors greet me as I enter the barn. The rough wooden walls are full of hooks to hold tack and equipment. The pungent smell of animals that used to live here greet my nose as I step on the straw floor towards the huge crates stacked on one side. The first crate is full to the brim with books, and I carefully take each book out, skimming over the titles, looking for one that is interesting enough for me to take back to camp, the moon giving off just the right amount of light.

I'm about to open the second crate when the doors open with a crash, and three figures step in.

"You!" one of them shouts, pointing at me.

The shock freezes me to my spot. And it's not because I've been found out, but because of _who_ found me out. I don't care about the two soldiers with him – they're regular fire nation soldiers, and I can take them on easily enough.

But there, right in the middle of the three figures is a tall, dark haired boy looking at me with a devilish grin.

"Well, well, well," he says, as if he just won a prize. "I knew I saw someone enter this barn. What do we have here? A thief? Or something more?"

Chen.

"I told you guys we should stop here before we head back to camp," he says to the other two. He steps forward, and I will my legs to move. "Who is this masked man sneaking around in the dark?"

I can't be caught. No, not by him.

And I can't fight him off either.

Chen is one of the Elite. And he's not just one of the Elite, but he's fifth in rank, next to me. Which means I don't stand a chance against him without firebending. I can't risk firebending either, as he knows my moves and will surely figure out it's me.

My only chance is to outrun him.

The first blast of fire narrowly misses my face and I leap from post to post until I'm on one of the rafters closest to the window. Chen is firing blast after blast at me, not caring if he set the barn on fire. I climb out the window onto the roof and start jumping from roof to roof, thankful that the huts are close enough together. Shouts from below tells me they're in wild pursuit, but now the barn is on fire, and the noise has woken several people up, some of them coming out of their homes to see what the commotion is about.

This works to my advantage as some of them block Chen's way and slows him down.

"Get out of my way!" he screams.

"Fire! There's a fire in the barn!" someone shouts.

More people file on to the streets, some carrying buckets of water. One of them runs into Chen and knocks him down, buying me some much-needed time.

Maybe I might just make it. I make a mad dash to the trees at the edge of the houses, leaping from roof to roof, desperation pushing me on. I'm almost to the last hut, the one by the trees that would enable me to disappear and escape, when my foot goes through the roof and I fall straight down onto the wooden floor, hitting the corner of a desk on my way down.

My vision goes blurry, my side screaming in pain, and my chest gasping for air. I force myself up and hobble towards the window.

If I can jump out the window I may still get away.

A gasp stops me from my tracks. I'm not alone. Two pairs of eyes look back at me.

One of them is standing by the bed holding a tray. It's a girl with long, straight hair, and a baby face. Her mouth is shaped like an O and she looks like she's about to scream.

The other one doesn't look surprised, as if people fall out of the roof all the time. She actually looks...pleased to see me, which doesn't make any sense.

_Get moving, Ji Hoo._

But there's something in her eyes that keeps me frozen in place.

Those eyes are ones I've seen before.

_It's her._

The girl from the woods.

The mask!

The mask is still stuck on my face, and for the first time I'm thankful she can't see the panic that is coursing through me right now.

I wonder if she recognizes me. Woo Bin said there's a lot of these masked guys running around the island. Maybe she thinks I'm just one of them?

She signals the other girl to be quiet, purses her lips and nods. The voices outside get louder, and I recognize Chen's voice among them.

"Search every hut! He's here somewhere!"

Her head whips around and then she points to the floor. She pushes the table and raises the rug under it. Without a word she lifts up a hidden door and motions me to jump inside.

I contemplate on my chances of survival – whether I should jump out the window or jump into a dark recess on the floor. I turn to the window but the pain on my side hits me hard and my knees almost buckle under me. Silently I jump into the dark hole and she closes the lid.

Slithers of light pass through the wooden floor, and I'm thankful it's not pitch black down here. If there's anything I'm afraid of, it's being locked in a pitch-dark place.

Something huge and heavy blocks most of the light coming in. I can hear whispers and then the sound of a window opening.

And then someone starts screaming.

….

It's her. She's screaming.

"Help!" she shouts. "Help me! Please, hurry!"

Panic envelops me. There is no exit down here. I'm surrounded by packed earth. I can't even think about setting the door on fire – too risky. Maybe I can push it open, then jump out the window. My hands are on the door ready to lift, waves of pain racking my entire body, when the stomping of heavy boots stops me.

Several footsteps enter the hut, Chen leading them no doubt.

"What's the matter? Have you seen him?" Chen says. A pause. "Your roof. He fell through your roof. Where did he go?"

Silence. I'm guessing she's pointing at my location right at this minute.

_Way to trust someone you just met, you idiot._

My mind tries to assess my situation. Can I take them on and survive? Once they lift that door, I'm done for. I can't even maneuver in this hole. But I won't go down without a fight.

In the barn, I had other ways out so firebending was my last resort. But here, in this tiny hole, I have no choice but to go to my last resort.

I'm going to have to firebend my way out and risk it.

"He went there?" Chen says, doubt in his voice.

I'm waiting for that door to open, fists ready to blast hot flames at them. Maybe, just maybe, if I have the element of surprise, I stand a chance.

"Hurry or he'll get away," she says, voice pleading.

Huh? I fail to see how I can get away, seeing as I'm trapped in here.

The footsteps are right on top of me.

_Breathe, Ji Hoo. Breathe._

_Get ready._

"Are you sure you're not hiding him somewhere?" Chen asks. "If you -"

"They just spotted him outside, heading east!" someone shouts.

"Go! Go!" Chen orders. Rapid footsteps follow, then the sound of a door closing.

And then silence.

The silence is deafening. I know I should be trying to get out of here but I'm unable to move, unsure what just happened.

Are they gone?

The minutes tick by, and suddenly light is flooding my hiding place.

"They're gone," a voice says.

It takes a few seconds for my vision to clear up. Her face greets me, a small smile on her lips.

"Are you okay?" she says. "Sorry it took so long. I had to make sure they were really gone."

She offers her hand to help me up and I take it, then she sits me on the bed and hands me a cup of water.

I shake my head. I can't take off my mask.

A breeze from the window reminds me of my plan to escape, to get out, and I limp towards it, clutching my side. Halfway there I collapse, exhaustion finally taking over my body.

…

There's a hole in the ceiling and I can see the stars. They're bright tonight. My grandfather taught me the names of some constellations, and I try to name them one by one.

It was a good idea putting a hole in the ceiling so I can stargaze. I should thank Yi Jung.

Of course, we'll have to do something about the hole when it rains.

The scent of jasmine fills my nostrils and I take a deep breath in.

Wait, we don't have jasmine in our room.

_Where am I? _

My eyes scan the surroundings, and nothing looks familiar. There's a blanket up to my chest, and my body feels like I got hit by a komodo rhino.

The events of the night slowly come back to me, and I look around in alarm.

My face!

But the mask is still on, and relief washes over me.

"I didn't take your mask off, if that's what you're worried about."

It's the girl. She's sitting at the foot of the bed, holding a tray with some dried herbs, gauze, and scissors. "I figured you must have a good reason to hide your identity."

I sit up, slowly, swirls of black and white dancing in my vision.

"Careful," she says. "I know you have to go, but you have to take it easy or it will take longer for your side to heal."

I lift my shirt and see a large rectangular patch on my left side. It smells like arnica and lavender.

"I hope you don't mind," she says. "You fainted while clutching your side so I took a look." She places the tray on the bedside table and gives me a sad smile. "I wanted to send you off with some pain relief but I ran out." She bites her lower lip, as if contemplating whether to proceed. "I don't know where you're from, but if you come back here tomorrow night I should have a poultice ready for you."

Tomorrow night?

I barely survived tonight.

As if reading my mind, she continues: "I'll ask Ga Eul to tie a white ribbon on the tree outside if it's safe for you to come back, if there are no fire nation soldiers around. If you don't see the ribbon, stay away, okay?"

I shouldn't come no matter what. It's too dangerous.

Especially now that Chen's back.

I lower my head, avoiding her eyes, unable to answer her.

"It's okay, I understand," she says. There's a hint of disappointment in her voice.

I head towards the window, calculating how long I've been gone. Would Yi Jung notice my absence?

The pain on my side is ebbing, the patch slowly working its magic. Without her help I would have been caught, discovered, by Chen nonetheless. He would probably drag me in front of Jun Pyo and have me thrown out of the Elite, then shipped me off to one of our prison islands.

I shudder inwardly at the thought.

Why did she help me? Is it because I helped her before? Does she know that masked man who rescued her is the same one standing in front of her right now?

Nevertheless, I need to thank her. But how can I thank her without talking to her?

Taking a deep breath, I face her, stand straight as a post, and very slowly bow low at the waist.

Her cheeks go pink, and her smile widens.

"My name's Jan Di. Geum Jan Di," she says.

Geum Jan Di.

It's a nice name.

Goes well with her nice smile.

_Focus, Ji Hoo, focus. Remember you have to get back to camp._

I leap onto the nearest tree, and turn to cast one last look at her.

"It's nice to see you again," she whispers, and I pretend I don't hear it as I disappear into the darkness outside.

...


End file.
